Import/export HS code 81129240: Niobium (columbium)
A rare metal used in alloys and industrial applications
Why this is important if you are looking for potential customers in the UK:
- It helps you understand the market size for your product in the UK.
- It provides you with a list of potential leads who have bought similar products.
* UK only, last 24 months analysed
Imports by country
What this shows: Import market volume by exporter country into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Country | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 4,617,859 |
| Thailand | 2,839,450 |
| Netherlands | 767,858 |
| United States | 505,841 |
| Germany | 403,858 |
Countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month volume, right side by second 12-month volume, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Country | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 1,242,395 | 3,375,464 | +2,133,069 |
| Thailand | 507,200 | 2,332,250 | +1,825,050 |
| Netherlands | 656,866 | 110,992 | -545,874 |
| United States | 191,453 | 314,388 | +122,935 |
| Germany | 403,858 | 0 | -403,858 |
| Japan | 198,356 | 0 | -198,356 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 134,801 | 0 | -134,801 |
| France | 0 | 70,540 | +70,540 |
| Estonia | 0 | 47,912 | +47,912 |
| Spain | 0 | 20,077 | +20,077 |
Imports by country of origin
What this shows: Import volume by production origin country. Differences from exporter-country data can indicate re-export routes.
Top 5 values
| Origin | £ |
|---|---|
| China | 5,603,152 |
| Thailand | 2,531,896 |
| Germany | 451,096 |
| United States | 356,100 |
| Brazil | 222,163 |
Country of origin rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Origin countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Origin | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 2,101,179 | 3,501,973 | +1,400,794 |
| Thailand | 199,646 | 2,332,250 | +2,132,604 |
| Germany | 403,858 | 47,238 | -356,620 |
| United States | 46,978 | 309,122 | +262,144 |
| Brazil | 213,752 | 8,411 | -205,341 |
| Japan | 198,356 | 0 | -198,356 |
| Netherlands | 171,160 | 0 | -171,160 |
| Estonia | 0 | 47,912 | +47,912 |
| France | 0 | 23,302 | +23,302 |
| United Kingdom | 0 | 1,415 | +1,415 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 1 |
| East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire | 1 |
| Essex | 1 |
| Gloucestershire and Wiltshire | 1 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 1 |
UK regions rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: UK regions are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month importer count, right side by second 12-month importer count, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| UK region | First 12m | Second 12m | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Essex | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| Gloucestershire and Wiltshire | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Inner London - West | 1 | 0 | -1 |
| Kent | 1 | 1 | +0 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| South East Wales | 0 | 1 | +1 |
| West Midlands | 0 | 1 | +1 |
Import volume by transport
What this shows: Import value by transport mode used to bring goods into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 7,446,838 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,137,448 |
| Air transport | 990,942 |
| Other | 31,324 |
Transport rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Transport modes are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Transport | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,719,047 | 5,727,791 | +4,008,744 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 908,004 | 229,444 | -678,560 |
| Air transport | 676,554 | 314,388 | -362,166 |
| Other | 31,324 | 0 | -31,324 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 6,614,099 |
| Immingham Docks | 695,000 |
| Southampton | 447,385 |
| Manchester Airport | 297,869 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 287,627 |
Port rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Ports are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Port | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Felixstowe | 1,302,636 | 5,311,463 | +4,008,827 |
| Immingham Docks | 626,891 | 68,109 | -558,782 |
| Southampton | 200,657 | 246,728 | +46,071 |
| Manchester Airport | 259,617 | 38,252 | -221,365 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 218,581 | 69,046 | -149,535 |
| Thamesport | 0 | 260,395 | +260,395 |
| London Stansted Airport | 0 | 205,675 | +205,675 |
| East Midlands Airport | 198,356 | 1,415 | -196,941 |
| Fishguard | 199,646 | 0 | -199,646 |
| Dover | 167,845 | 23,302 | -144,543 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 7 |
| Manufacture of basic metals | 2 |
| Waste collection, treatment and disposal activities; materials recovery | 2 |
| Architectural and engineering activities; technical testing and analysis | 1 |
| Manufacture of electrical equipment | 1 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2025-11 | 2 |
| 2025-08 | 2 |
| 2025-07 | 4 |
| 2025-06 | 3 |
| 2025-05 | 4 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 5 |
| 15m-54m | 3 |
| 1m-15m | 2 |
| Other | 2 |
Import seasonality
What this shows: Average monthly import pattern from historical data.
Exports by country
What this shows: Export market volume by destination country from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Country | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 1,296,069 |
| Italy | 983,625 |
| India | 286,209 |
| France | 283,692 |
| Germany | 142,068 |
Export countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Destination countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export volume, right side by second 12-month export volume, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Country | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 898,428 | 397,641 | -500,787 |
| Italy | 420,567 | 563,058 | +142,491 |
| India | 234,168 | 52,041 | -182,127 |
| France | 64,945 | 218,747 | +153,802 |
| Germany | 33,023 | 109,045 | +76,022 |
| Spain | 21,472 | 73,004 | +51,532 |
| Malaysia | 52,206 | 0 | -52,206 |
| Sweden | 0 | 3,418 | +3,418 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,466,522 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 1,232,662 |
| Air transport | 442,579 |
Export transport rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Transport modes are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Transport | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 1,072,499 | 394,023 | -678,476 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 487,555 | 745,107 | +257,552 |
| Air transport | 164,755 | 277,824 | +113,069 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 1,164,448 |
| Southampton | 1,133,907 |
| East Midlands Airport | 340,497 |
| London Gateway Port | 234,168 |
| Felixstowe | 98,447 |
Export port rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Ports are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Port | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 455,140 | 709,308 | +254,168 |
| Southampton | 791,925 | 341,982 | -449,943 |
| East Midlands Airport | 74,686 | 265,811 | +191,125 |
| London Gateway Port | 234,168 | 0 | -234,168 |
| Felixstowe | 46,406 | 52,041 | +5,635 |
| London Stansted Airport | 64,912 | 4,519 | -60,393 |
| Dover | 32,415 | 35,799 | +3,384 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 22,080 | 7,494 | -14,586 |
| ZLC | 3,077 | 0 | -3,077 |
Quick facts
HS code: 81129240
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: A rare metal used in alloys and industrial applications